Manufacture and production of staple fiber



March 4, 1941. H. ASHTON Erm.

umumcruna AND PRODUCTION oF suman FIBER 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Oct. 9-,1940 nvN N OM mw OSE TAR NDD 3 24 www YV s if .\l\.\ mm .lw E I ml-. ifL. I L 4% .///V.H|- M Y 4 f l @l .1.- Mg.

March 4, 1941. H, ASHTON Em 2,234,105

HANUFACTURE AND PRODUCT-ION 0F STAPLE. FIBERl Filed Dct. 9, 1.940 2Sheets-Sheet 2 g mvamrolas HAROLD ASHTON mw ERBC ANDREW NORTON PatentedMar. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES MANUFACTURE AND PRODUCTION STAPLE FIBER-Harold Ashton, Slattocks, Rochdale, and Eric Andrew Morton, Coventry,England, assignors to Courtaulds Limited, London, England, a

British company Application October 9, 1940, Serial No. 360,508 In GreatBritain October 21, 1939 6 Claims.

In United States Patent No. 2,221,716, there is described apparatus forthe production of staple ber fromV a tow of artificial threads,filaments or the like which comprises two hard nonresilient rollers, oneof which has a smooth cylindrical surface and the other helical ridgesprotruding from its cylindrical surface, means for supporting the saidrollers in xed positions to form a nip between their cylindricalsurfaces and means4 for rotating them so that the linear speed of thetips of the ridges is substantially the same as the peripheral speed ofthe other roller, the thickness of ,the tow and the distance between thecylindrical surfacesv of the rollers being 'arranged so that the ridgeson the one roller touch the surface of the other roller in the nip andthereby cut the tow, and so that the tow is attened out and gripped bythe cylindrical surfaces of the rollers and is thereby progressedthrough the nip at a speed substantially the same as the peripheralspeed of the rollers.

We have now found that in such apparatus r, improvements are obtained ifmembers are provided for confining the flattened tow, or tows, within'alimited space in the nip between the two rollers. If a number of towsare passed side by side through the same pair of cutting rollers twosuch members may be used one at each end of the nip at the outer side ofthe two outermost tows, although we generally prefer to provide inaddition further members in order to confine each tow separately. Thesaid confining members are in the form of circumferential ridgesprovided on one of thev rollers, each ridge being made of suchdimensions that it fits closely into a corresponding circumferentialslot 'in the other roller. The distance between the mem- 40 bers is soarranged that when .the tow is compressed as it passes through the nipit completely fills the box-like space between the two rollers above andbelow it and the two members on either side of it. The possibility ofthe 45 filaments at .the outer sides of each tow being insecurelygripped is thereby avoided. Each tow is evenly gripped across the wholeof its width so that it is completely and efliciently cut by the ridgeson the cutting roller. Guiding members are provided immediately beforethe nip of the cutting rollers for guiding the tow or tows in such amanner that none of their constituent filaments is allowed to enter theslots.

The accompanying diagrammatic drawings show apparatus according to thepresent inven- (cl. 164-66) y tion although the invention is not limitedto the apparatus shown.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a pair of rollers designed to cut 6tows, the tow guiding means before the nip being omitted for the sake of5 clarity; Figure 2 shows in detail the tow guiding means omitted fromFigure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of the rollers and the tow guidingmeans of Figure 2; while Figure 4 is a side view of the rollers and analternative tow guiding 10 device.

A pair of hard steel rollers I and 2 are mounted on axles 3 and -4respectively in a framework 5. Each roller is positively driven by meansnot shown in the drawings. The upper roller l is 1" provided with anumber of helical parallel ridges 6 which touch the smooth surface ofthe lower roller 2. The distance between the cylindrical surfaces of thetwo rollers is about a sixth of the diameter of the tow as itis denv- 20ered to the rollers for cutting. The lower roller 2 is provided withseven parallel circumferential ridges 1 which t into correspondingcircumferential slots 8 on the roller I. Immediately before ythe nip aguiding member is placed which 20 may consist as in Figures 2 and 3 of aperforated bar 9 screwed on to the framework 5, oras in Figure 4 of arow of pegs I0.' Each tow passes through a hole in the bar or the spacebetween two pegs. Each hole or space is narrower than the distancebetween vadjacent ridges 1, so that none of .the filaments of the tow isallowed to enter the slots 8. As each tow is progressed through the nipit completely fills the box-like space bounded by the cylindrical 3surfaces of the two rollers and the ridges 'I on both sides of it, sothat -cutting of every filament is ensured.

What we claim is:

1. Apparatus for the production of staple fiber 40 from a tow ofartificial threads, filaments or the like which comprises two hard,non-resilient,

I rigidly mounted rollers between the cylindrical surfaces of which the.tow of filaments is passed, l the thickness of the loose tow offilaments being f considerably greater than the distance between thesaid cylindrical surfaces in the nip between the rollers so that the towis attened out and gripped in the nip, one of the said rollers being rprovided on its cylindrical surfacev with spiral "o cutting ridges whichtouch the surface of the other roller in the nip and one of the saidrollers being provided with circumferential ridges which fit intocorresponding circumferential slots in the other roller and confine theflattened tow 55 witliinqa limited space in the nip and guiding "'meansfarranged immediately before the nip in order to prevent the filamentsconstituting the tow from entering the said circumferential slots.

2. Apparatus for the production of staple fiber from a number of tows ofartificial threads, filaments or the like which comprises two hard,non-resilient, rigidly mounted rollers between the cylindrical surfacesof which the tows of filaments are passed, the thickness of the loosetows of filaments being considerably greater than the distance betweenthe said cylindrical surfaces in the nip between the rollers so that thetows are fiattened out and gripped in the nip, one of the said rollersbeing provided on its cylindrical surface with spiral cutting ridgeswhich touch the surface of the other roller in the nip and one of thesaid rollers being provided with circumferential ridges which t intocorresponding circumferential slots in the other roller and confine eachof .the flattened towsV separately within a limited space in the nip andguiding means arranged immediately before the nipA in order to preventthe filaments constituting the tows from entering the saidcircumferential slots.

3. Apparatus for the production of staple ber from a tow of artificialthreads, filaments or the like which comprises two hard, non-resilient,rigidly mounted rollers between the cylindrical surfaces of which thetow of filaments is passed, the thickness of the loose tow of filamentsbeing considerably greater than the distance between the saidcylindrical surfaces in the nip between the rollers so that the tow isiiattened out and gripped in the nip, one of the said rollers beingprovided on its cylindrical surface with spiral cutting ridges whichtouch the surface of the other roller in the nip and one of the saidrollers being provided with circumferential ridges which fit intocorresponding circumferential slots in the other roller and confine theflattened tow withinv a limited yspace in the nlp and guiding meansarranged immediately before the nip comprising a perforated bar, theperforation of which is narrower than the distance between thevcircumferential ridges.

4. Apparatus for the production of staple fiber from a numbeibf tows ofartificial threads, filaments or the like which comprises two hard,non-resilient, rigidly mounted rollers between the cylindrical surfacesof which the tows of la ments are passed, the thickness of the loosetows of filaments being considerably greater than the distance betweenthe said cylindrical surfaces in the nip between the rollers so that thetows are attened out and gripped in the nip, one of the said rollersbeing provided on. its cylindrical sur-l face with spiral cutting ridgeswhich touch the surface of the other roller in the nip and one ofv `thedistance between adjacent circumferential ridges.

5. Apparatus for the production of staple fiber from a tow of articialthreads, laments or the like which comprises two hard, non-resilient,rigidly mounted rollers between the cylindrical surfaces of which thetow of lanients is passed, the thickness of the loose tow of filamentsbeing considerably greater than the distance between the saidcylindrical surfaces in the nip between the rollers so that the tow isflattened out and gripped in the nip, one'of the said rollers beingprovided on its cylindrical surface with spiral cutting ridges whichtouch the surface of the other roller in the nip and one of the saidrollers being provided with circumferential ridges which fit intocorresponding circumferential slots in the other roller and confine theflattened tow within a limited space in the nip 'and' guiding meanscomprising pegs ladapted to guide the tow intoa portion of the nip whichis narrower than the distance between the circumferential ridges.

6. Apparatus for the production of staple fiber from a number of 'towsof artificial threads, iiiaments or the like which comprises two hard,nonresilient, rig-idly mounted rollers between the cylindrical surfacesofv which the tows of laments are passed, the thickness of the loosetows of filaments being considerably greater than the distance betweenthe said cylindrical surfaces in the nip between the rollers so that thetows are flattened out and gripped in the nip, one of the said rollersIbeing provided on its cylindrical surface with spiral cutting ridgeswhich touch the surface of the other roller in the nip and one of thesaid rollers being provided with circumferential ridges which fit intocorresponding circumferential slots in the other roller and confine eachof the flattened tows separately within a limited space in the nip and arow of pegs each pair of which is adapted to guide one tow into aportion of the nip which is narrower than the distance between adjacentcircumferential ridges.

^ HAROLD ASHTON.

ERIC ANDREW MORTON;

